NEW YORK -- Forty days ago, the Penn men's basketball team walked off the court at the Palestra after losing its fifth straight game, a 74-68 loss in overtime to Rider that by all accounts, the Quakers should have won. Penn dropped to 4-7 and the team's confidence was clearly low.
What a difference 40 days made.
The Quakers went on to win 13 of their next 14 games and Saturday night walked off the court at Levien Gymnasium as Ivy League champions.
Penn beat Columbia 80-72 and clinched the school's third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last four years.
To do it, the Quakers (17-8, 10-1) won in a hostile environment and in a way that they have been accustomed to throughout the Ivy League season: with a big second-half run.
This time it was the first 11 minutes after the break that sealed the game and the Ivy title -- the 23rd time that Penn has won at least a share of the league championship.
The Quakers held Columbia (12-13, 3-9) to just four points on one field goal in the first 11:35 and turned a small 35-33 halftime lead into a sizable 57-37 cushion.
From there, Penn held off a few small Lions rallies and completed the remarkable stretch that started a month and a half ago.
"I think that was critical," Quakers head coach Fran Dunphy said of the 22-4 run. "I would give credit in particular to our defense over the first eight to ten minutes or so."
Sophomore guard Ibby Jaaber led the Red and Blue for the second straight night, scoring 26 points, 17 of which came in the first half.
The first half was a dogfight for Penn, as it was in several games in the Ivy run. Columbia led 33-32 with 1:45 remaining in the half, as the Quakers' defense allowed the Lions to shoot 52.2 percent from the field and played sloppily on offense, committing 11 turnovers.
But just like they did against Princeton, Cornell and Brown to name a few, Penn's second half spurt put the game out of reach.
The Quakers forced four turnovers during the run and did not let the Lions get good shots off.
"A lot had to do with their intensity on defense," Columbia head coach Joe Jones said.
During the run, senior guard Tim Begley set a personal milestone, becoming the Quakers' all-time career leader in three-pointers made, surpassing former guard Matt Maloney's mark of 244.
After tying the record with a triple from the right wing with 8:14 to go in the first half, the team's captain hit one from nearly the same spot with 16:33 remaining in the game en route to a total of 24 points.
The native of Freehold, N.J., was his usual humble self after the performance.
"It's probably just because I've taken more than anyone else in Penn history," he said, referring to his propensity to shoot and Dunphy's having played him extensively as a freshman, allowing him the opportunity to take so many shots.
But Begley was honored to be at the top of the school's record book.
"It is an exciting thing," he said.
For the Lions, who lost their eighth straight game, it was another frustrating evening.
Columbia honored its six seniors on their final night at Levien Gym, and two of them fouled out. Forward Matt Preston was gone with 4:39 left and received a warm ovation from the crowd after he played his heart out for the final time in front of the home crowd.
Preston finished with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists and was able to reflect on the ending of his collegiate career after the game.
"I don't know. Maybe it's just typical," he said of fouling out at the end.
Jeremiah Boswell, the Lions' floor general, scored eight points but picked up his fifth foul with 1:33 to go in the game.
Despite the upcoming end of six players' careers, Columbia has a bright future in freshman forward John Baumann. He set career highs in points in three straight games, with 17 points in only 17 minutes against Penn.
But Saturday all the Lions could do was watch another team win the Ivy crown -- and Penn could celebrate one more time.
